rivenmyst137

We're heading to Iceland next month, and we (my girlfriend and I) would like to get as close to the volcano as we reasonably can. Assuming it's still erupting in a month, which tour operators should I look at, and are any offering good packages for the current eruption?

Thanks,
Nick

lincasanova

i would assume if it keeps up the eruption you may not even get to iceland.

Jean

You think/hope you're headed to Iceland next month. If the current volcano is still erupting (and Iceland has several other active volcanoes), all bets are off.

If it's not too late, I'd buy trip insurance.

Jean

Or does trip insurance even cover this type of event?

alihutch

You might find this interesting.....a report from Iceland

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8627012.stm

Jean

A link on the same page to a more interesting commentary, IMO.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8626968.stm

rivenmyst137

Keflavik airport is still open to flights to and from North America, and the rest of the island is doing just fine. We may not be able to get to the southern part of the island, but it's not like the entire island is going to be shut down for a month+.

Weadles

Is it just me? I find your question in bad taste considering that so many people may need to be evacuated and/or may suffer serious health consequences from exposure to volcanic ash.

Jean

And I think you're assuming conditions will not change, and, in the same vein as Weadles' comment, you're ignoring that Icelanders have been evacuated out of some areas. The rest of the island is NOT doing just fine.

lincasanova

.."but it's not like the entire island is going to be shut down for a month"..

I'm sure many are happy to know that..
..a ring road has been severed and there is extreme flooding now

cova

Lin, did you see the story last Friday of Jesus Calleja, who had to be rescued from the volcano area last Thursday?

http://blog.cuatro.com/desafioextremo/

Maybe the OP should ask him how to get to the volcano ...

lincasanova

very interesting. amazing how being isolated from the news could take you to your grave.

flygirl

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/us/18usa.html

see last paragraph. ironic.

alanRow

The Icelandic government isn't allowing tourists near the volcano. They've even closed part of the Ring Road to ensure it. So if you want to visit you are going to have to hike in - which as a good idea is up there with sticking a loaded handgun to your head and pulling the trigger

Morningglory47

rivenmyst137: I'm booked to go with a friend on May 23 - we arranged it before the eruption as having ash falling down on us isn't all that appealing - we booked a package with Icelandair - direct flight (from Toronto), hotel with breakfast and a tour around the city. http://www.icelandair.com/

We're not worried about it being cancelled and losing our money - they could hardly expect us to pay if flights are cancelled.

With their economic woes and now this, not much is going right for Iceland these days.

Morningglory47

This is posted on Icelandic's Air website:

"Travelers in Iceland are Safe and Sound

The Icelandic Tourist Board held a meeting at noon today, 16 April 2010, whereupon it was decided to issue a press release stressing that day-to-day life in Iceland is just as usual, even though the volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull glacier on the south coast of Iceland has made a profound impact and generated dangers in a specified area.

In other parts of the country, Icelanders’ daily life is proceeding quite normally.

Even though the eruption in Eyjafjallajökull is relatively small, airborne volcanic ash has dispersed over a wide area and disrupted air travel in Europe. It is the joint task of the aviation and tourism authorities in Europe to find ways to transport travelers to their destinations with absolute safety.

It is the task of Iceland’s Civil Protection Department to ensure that the utmost safety measures are followed in Iceland, and to provide a constant flow of information to all parties that need it. Euro Control and the Volcanic Ash Center take decisions on air travel authorizations in Europe.

Even if the eruption is prolonged – and its duration is impossible to predict – it is considered likely that volcanic ash formation will taper off once the preconditions for the mixture of water and embers no longer exist.

The Icelandic Tourist Board wishes to forewarn the public of exaggerated news reports on the eruption but encourages travelers to keep abreast of developments.

Travelers currently in Iceland are safe and well-treated, and the appropriate parties are making every effort to make their stay as pleasant and comfortable as possible."

rivenmyst137

For the record, no, I do not think the question was in bad taste at all. No one has died, because a) in the scheme of things the eruption is relatively minor, and b) the geographical area affected is very sparsely populated. As far as I know, one small town had to be evacuated as a precaution. That's it.

Frankly, the economic collapse Iceland had already suffered prior to the volcano is causing far more suffering, and having tourists stay away out of either fear or a misguided sense of propriety would do far more harm than good. While much of western Europe may be getting a shocking reality check regarding their dependence on air travel (and the frailty of even modern civilization in the face of mother nature's might), Iceland is doing just fine, thank you. In fact, they're experiencing a tourism boom on account of the volcano (and some unscrupulous actors are trying to charge exorbitant rates for tours and sightseeing).

Hence my original question.

In the meantime, the major population centers of Reykjavik and Akureyri remain unaffected, and the "extreme flooding" has been deliberately routed over certain portions of the ring road in order to spare the bridges as the former is easy to rebuild and the latter is not. The savage whim of Mother Nature is a fact of life up there near the Arctic Circle, and Icelanders are used to adapting. How do I know? I talk to my friend's husband, a native of Iceland who grew up in Akureyri and still has family there.

So, if the posters who seem to enjoy using their ignorance of the situation as a stepping stool to achieving the narcotic high of condescending moral indignation would be so kind as to direct their energies elsewhere, I would be grateful to anyone who had something useful to contribute to the original question.

alihutch

Well, looks like these chaps might be able to help you...

http://www.icelandrovers.is/IcelandR...okull-eruption

Jean

Few of us know any native Icelanders well enough to call on them for tourist information, but apparently you do. So, why did you think this forum would be a better source of information than your own contacts?

Perhaps your friend's family can tell you if they are familiar with any of these Iceland volcano tour operators I found by a quick search on Google:

http://iceland.nordicvisitor.com/tra...volcano-tours/

http://www.icelandrovers.is/DayTours...andBlueLagoon/

http://www.volcanotours.is/

http://www.icelandtotal.com/daytours...Volcano_tours/

lincasanova

".So, if the posters who seem to enjoy using their ignorance of the situation as a stepping stool to achieving the narcotic high of condescending moral indignation would be so kind as to direct their energies elsewhere,....."

wow